When Everything Goes Wrong
by Jackie BlueHogwartian
Summary: Based on fiftieth Hunger Games, but everything is the same. What happens when Max, Katniss, Peeta and Fang are thrown into the Hunger Games? Will friendships be forged or torn apart? And the ultimate question: which one of them will come out of the area, alive?
1. Chapter 1

Katniss POV

I looked up and smiled at Max. I knew that without her and Gale, me and my family would have starved to death. The same goes for Max's, but Gale probably would find a way to survive.

I met Gale first, he caught me admiring his traps. We developed a bond forged over mutual need. However, Max wasn't as open as Gale. In many ways, she was much the same as me, toughened and not to be messed with. I approached her on her first day in the Seam, she was being bullied by a couple of the town kids, but she was holding her own, which I liked. So I went over, told the townies to stuff their heads down a coal mine and immediately befriended Max. She was terrified, but she didn't let it show. After that, we spent every day together, and a few months later, she showed me her secret. She had wings. I always thought that it was a hunchback or something. Turns out she was a long-forgotten Capitol experiment.

Max had a sister called Ella, and they were both brought here to District 12 by their mother, Dr Martinez. When my mother discovered that there was a doctor in town, she was ecstatic. For a long time, she had struggled to keep the residents of our district alive, but sometimes, it just wasn't enough. Dr Martinez brought a whole new light to my mother's medical training.

Ella and Prim were best friends the moment their eyes met. They were exactly the same. They did just about everything together. Sometimes, I joked that they might aswell be joined at the hip, which would earn me a disapproving glance from both of them. Usually simultaniously.

So in return for her showing me her wings, I taught Max how to hunt. I brought her to meet Gale and together, we made a system. Max flew overhead looking for flocks of wild turkey and the occasional deer, which she would throw a knife at, Gale checked and reset the traps and I hunted what Max found. We worked in perfect harmony and everything was good.

But then came the Hunger Games.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm writing like I read here guys! I can't stop!**

Max's POV

We had to leave the forest early to get clean for the reaping. I sighed and angled myself to where Katniss and Gale where standing. I wanted to stay for longer, the forest was the only place I could free my wings and soar wherever I pleased. Landing gracefully in front of them, I took my oversized jacket from Gale with a nod. I put it on over my folded wings and we began to trudge back home.

We bade Gale goodbye at the fence, because he was going to the Hob to trade before the reaping, and walked back to our houses, which, coincedentally, were right next to each other.

"Walk with you to the reaping?" I asked Katniss.

She nodded tensely. She looked as terrified as I felt. Both Ella and Prim had their first reapings today, and we had spent sleepless nights comforting them. Even witht the pact, we were still nervous about our own names. Katniss had hers in twenty times, and I had twenty four.

The pact we had made (with Gale) said that if one of us was reaped, then the other two would look after the tribute's family, make sure they didn't starve. It was a comfort, but it wasn't much.

I scrubbed myself clean in the bath Ella had run and put on my best dress. I was a pale green and had ruffles around the waist. I wasn't one for dresses, I preferred boots and trousers, but I had to admit, this one was nice. I belonged to my aunt once, and it's the only peice any of us have left of her. I put my hair up in a messy bun and helped Ella get ready. Her outfit matched Prim's, as it nearly always does. She wore a cream coloured blouse and a light blue skirt. On any other day, I would have told her to stop and I would have sketched her, as I have a knack with a pencil, but today was too grim.

Our mother was at the Everdeen's house, helping Katniss' mum pack up her medical supplies of rthe day. Every business was closed on the day of the reaping. I grabbed Ella's hand and tugged her out the door. We went next door and Prim flung herself at Ella. They were both shaking as they clung to each other, probably terrified for the other's life, rather than their own. They would rather help a stranger than stay unharmed, those two. Fortunately, Katniss and I were there to set boundaries.

Together, our families walked down to the reaping and separated into our age groups. I was stood next to Katniss and I was relived to see that Ella was still with Prim.

_May the odds be ever in your favour_ I signed at Katniss, using the language we had invented years ago.

She let out a snort of disgust. We both knew that the odds were definetly NOT in anyone's favour, as this year, because of the second Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes were required, making the odds completely different to any normal year.

Effie Trinket walked on stage wearing her ridiculous wig and her pouffy, bright pink dress. It was an awful costume. She was followed by a drunken Haymitch, the only living victor out of the two we've ever had. As soon as he was on stage, he walked to the front, and straightened up. He opened his mouth as if to say something, belched loudly, and prompty passed out and fell off the stage.

_Great publicity stunt there _Katniss signed.

I giggled and nodded, knowing that people back in the Capitol would be disgusted by Haymitch's lack of manners.

Mayor Undersee managed to get through his speech without crying, his daughter, Madge, was in the pot for the first time this year.

Effie then tottered forewards in her stupidly high heels and cried "Ladies first!" just as she always does.

She plunged her hand into the fishbowl of names and pulled out two slips. Opening them, she read out in a clear, tinkling voice:

_"Primrose Everdeen and Ella Martinez."_


	3. Chapter 3

Katniss' POV

My heart stuttered, then stopped. How could they both be reaped? The odds were just too small. But in the end, there are no odds and there is just chance, luck and fate.

The sight of the two twelve year olds walking down the aisle to their deaths snapped me back to reality. I glanced at Max who nodded sharply and we dashed out behind Prim and Ella. Everyone turned to look at us, but I didn't care. My baby sister was absolutely NOT going into the arena. I knew the same thing was going through Max's head, so when the peacekeepers turned to push us back into the crowd, we screamed the same thing in unison.

"WE VOLENTEER!"

I expected people to gasp and gape, but instead they just looked sad. I rushed forwards with Max and shoved our sisters behind us.

"We volenteer as tributes" Max growled.

"Well, well then!" Effie was delighted. "Come up here and let's have a round of applause for District Twelve's first volenteers."

The crowd was silent as the peacekeepers held Prim and Ella back and we climbed the stage. When I reached Effie, she asked mine and Max's name. I reluctantly gave them to her and she smiled widely.

"Sisters, then?" Effie was having the time of her life, and I wanted to slap her for it.

At that moment, a movement caught the corner of my eye and turning to the audience, I saw them all pressing their first three fingers on their left hand to their mouths and lifting them towards us. A sign of respect. Touched, I began to feel tears pricking my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had to be strong, for Prim.

Effie wobbled over to the boy's fishbowl at the other end of the stage and brought two more slips back.

_"Peeta Mellark and Fang Kannok"_

One of those names were familiar, but the face brought it all back. Peeta Mellark. The boy from the bakery. He was the boy who threw bread to me when I was starving. I was immensly grateful to him, I surely would have starved to death if he hadn't done it, but I hated owing people. I would rather him owe me for something.

As for Kannok, I had only seen him in school, and he was silent most of the time, so noone really knew him. He had no parents, that's for sure. He wouldn't be missed.

We were told to shake hands and escorted into the Justice Building behind us. Max and I were put in one room, the boys in another. This is where we would say goodbye to our friends and families.

Max tapped my shoulder. "Allies?" I hesitated.

"Of course." I couldn't go up against her, I would just have to hope somone killed her before I had to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys,**

**Okay, I don't usually ask for reviews, but I've only had one so far for one of my other stories (thanks to Cassia4u!), so I really need reviews. **

**Thanks! xx**

Max's POV

I was ready to die. Or, at least, I thought I was. When Ella rushed in and hugged me round the middle, I discovered that I was absolutely petrified by the daunting prospect of going into the Games. At least I had Katniss on my side.

We stood there, comforting our separate families. I pulled away from my mother, but kept Ella close. I towed her over to Prim and got Katniss' attention. She had been nearly screaming at her mother not to leave or something. I think it might have been because when her dad died, Lillian was nodding and reassuring poor Katniss.

I touched her shoulder and she moves to stand with me, facing the kids.

"Okay," I said, my voice stronger than expected. "You two need to look out for each other."

"Prim, you can sell cheese from Lady, and Ella, you can sell eggs from your chicken." Katniss joined in.

"Gale will bring you meat and a bit of money."

"You can buy cloth and in your spare time you can make clothes to sell."

"You can give them to Gale and he will sell them for you."

A knock came from the door and the girls clutched us.

"You have to win! Promise you'll try to win!" They pleaded and pleaded.

"We will try our very best to win, okay!" I promised and Katniss agreed.

The peacekeepers draggedt them out roughly. I felt Katniss grip my shoulder reassuringly. We heard a soft tap on the door, and Gale slipped in.

"Gale," Katniss spoke urgently. "You have to keep them safe. Don't let them starve."

"You know I won't! You can win this, though. You can get a bow and arrow, and if there isn't then you can make one." Gale grabbed my shoulders. "You can scout, Max. It doesn't matter anymore, people are going to find out anyway. And you are good with a knife."

He glared at both of us.

"Gale, we get it." Katniss sighed.

"No, you don't" he hugged us feircely. "You two can win this, alone. But together, you WILL win. Don't give up, no matter what."

Again, a peace keeper dragged him out the room, then came back for us. I grinned at Katniss and offered her my arm. She sniggered and looped her arm through mine and we left the Justice Building and headed for the train together.


	5. Chapter 5

Katniss' POV

When we got on the train, we were shown to our private compartments and told dinner would be served in half an hour. I stepped in the shower and washed all the tears away, mostly Prim's. Unlimited hot water, not a luxury I had been able to have before, but I would have traded it in a second if it meant me and Max could go home.

After drying myself, I dressed in a comfortable pair of black trousers and a light green sweater. I decided to explore the train and see how long it would take to get to the Capitol. Just as I closed the door to my compartment and turned to go, I smashed into a brick wall and fell over.

"Oh, sorry Katniss," a smooth voice said above me. "Didn't see you there."

I gaxed upwards and my eyes connected with another pair of startling blue. It was Peeta helping me up. Obviously trying to hear any tactics I might be planning. He was probably going to get close to me and then betray me. Well two could play that game.

"That's okay Peeta," I smiled graciously and brushed his arm as I strolled past.

I couldn't get those eyes out of my head. It was like Peeta had been boring into my own grey ones to get to my soul. He had such an open face, my instict told me to make use of him, trust him. But my instinct guided me through the hunt, not politics.

I decided to search for Max. We could do with planning and talking to Haymitch.

I saw Effie in the dining cart and went to talk to her. Bad decision.

"Hey, Effie."

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She shook her head slightly and returned my greeting.

"Ah, hello, Katniss. I was just about to come looking for you. We've got a big, big, big day ahead of us!" She was way too cheery.

"I'm going to find Max, I'll see you at dinner." I strode back in the direction I came from.

"Fifteen minutes, Katniss!" I heard Effie trill after me.

I finally found Max ten minutes later, in her room absolutely fuming. She peeked up at me and relaxed instantly.

"Oh, hi."

"Come on, five minutes 'till dinner." She grimaced. "Hey, what wrong with you?"

She snarled, "Fang".


	6. Chapter 6

Max's POV

"Ouch!"

Falling backwards, I looked up to see what I had crashed into. Towering over me, was Fang. Smirking, he reached down and offered me a hand. Ignoring it, I stood up, glared at him and crossed my arms in front of my chest. I let my eyes roam up and down his body. He was wearing black trousers and a black hoodie, to match his black hair. His dark eyes were roaming over me, twinkling when they reached my scowling face.

If looks could kill, I was sure the one I was giving Fang right then would have fried him several times over. I was about to turn and walk away when he spoke, low and soft.

"I didn't hurt you did I?"

I whirled round and stared at him. His face was open and earnest, but not so open that I could tell what he was thinking.

"What does it matter to you?" I snapped.

"Well, I just knocked you over. Am I not allowed to be concerned?" He furrowed his brow slightly, making this incredibly cute crease in the middle of his forehead.

I tried not to think about it and how I so wanted to smooth it out. I frowned at him.

"It's fine, but why would you care?"

He sighed and his eyes turned sad.

"I've always cared."

With that, he strode away and didn't look back, leaving me confused and angry. With that, he strode away and didn't look back, leaving me confused and angry.

A few minutes later, Katniss stormed in, wearing what would be an expression similar to mine. We talked for a few minutes about what had happened to us and what it could mean, and then headed down to what would be a very awkward dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

Katniss POV

Meeting our prep team was a disaster. Thankfully, Max and I were sharing, as there was only two for each district. Flavius, Octavia and Venia were the silliest people I'd ever had the misfortune to meet. They weren't mean or anything, they were just plain daft. Unfortunately for us tributes, they were not silly enough to not wax nearly every hair off our bodies. For an hour, they pasted sticky strips of paper on our legs, arms, and faces and ripped them off. Chattering about unimportant things, they stripped us until we were raw. When they were done, we were sent to our rooms to scrub our sore, aching bodies clean. I was given a thin robe to drape over myself while we waited for the head stylist. We had nothing to talk about, so we sat in a comfortable silence.

"Hello," a warm, friendly voice sounded behind me. "I'm Cinna."

Turning, I found a dark-skinned man with a hint of gold eyeliner. He smiled at me and Max and I felt myself automatically smiling back. There was something about this man that was different than the other Capitol stylists, like he understood. He shook my hand firmly, and then turned to face Max.

"So, if I'm going to make you look your absolute best, I need to know what is wrong with your back."

"Erm..." Max glanced at me.

I shrugged and nodded. We were going to die anyway, what did it matter if one more person knew her secret? She sighed and shrugged off her robes, slowly extending her beautiful tawny wings. Cinna gasped and grinned.

"That will give the Gamemakers a bit of a shock, won't it?" He chuckled, still admiring Max's outstretched flappers.

"Can you put slits or something on the uniform we wear in the arena? I want them to be easily accessible." Max moved the tip of her wing into Cinna's open hand.

His eyes lit up as he stroked the smooth feathers.

"I will have to work around this, but yes, I will make sure you have slits for your wings" he said as Max put her wings away and pulled her robe back on. He smiled again.

His grin was infectious. I giggled, which was so unlike me that Max gave out a full-on shout of laughter. This set me off in the end and the three of us were on the floor, laughing our heads off. Wiping his eyes, but careful not to smudge his eyeliner, Cinna climbed to his feet and pulled out two costumes. They were all black and shiny.

"This year, we are focusing on the product, rather than the people." He handed us the clothes and shooed us off to get dressed. "Come on, Effie will give me an earful if you two aren't changed in five minutes!"

Still giggling, I got into the jet black outfit as quickly as possible; I didn't want to give Cinna any trouble. Dashing out of my new room in the tributes hotel, I ran beside Max down to the lift. Reaching the chariot room, I glanced around. Most of the other tributes were already here.

"Katniss! Max!" Cinna and the boy's head stylist, Portia, waved us over and helped us into the carriage, in between the boys. The carriage was extra large this year because there were extra tributes.

Portia shook her head and cried "Oh, No!"

Cinna nodded. "I see what you mean."

"What?" Peeta asked.

"Peeta, can you move in between Katniss and Max? It would look so good!"

Peeta obliged and shuffled over. I didn't like it. Max was my lifeline to sanity in this mess, but Portia had split us apart.

"Now," Cinna came forward with a curious little container in his hand. "Don't be alarmed, but we are going to set you on fire. Portia came up with a little synthetic fire that won't burn you." He flashed a dazzling smile and she blushed.

The anthem started and Cinna lit us up. He was telling the truth, I couldn't feel a thing. I looked down at Cinna and beamed. Then he started making weird motions. Peeta and Fang noticed too.

"I think he wants us to link hands" yelled Fang over the music.

I shrugged and took Peeta's hand in my own. Max grimaced at me and I laughed, suddenly euphoric. This one small thing could show the Capitol that they didn't own me, that I wasn't just a piece in their games.

As one, we rode the large chariot out into the screaming crowds.


	8. Chapter 8

Max's POV

We rode out into the crowd as one, me standing between Fang and Peeta. Great, I really didn't want to be holding either of their hands. However, I was kind of glad we had to link ourselves together, because I felt like I would fall off if I didn't have something to grip. Katniss and I had our hair down and flying behind us. Mine was a light brown and hers was dark, almost black thanks to the stylists. Peeta's hair was slicked back and very neat. It made him look dangerous and daring.

Fang's hair was loose and floppy and it fell over his eyes. Then it registered in my brain: he was so HOT. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the wild and unwanted thought.

I looked up and around and saw us on the giant TV screen. My wide eyes were projected a thousand times bigger and I was surrounded in flame. We were cool, and the crowd adored us. I beamed at them, trying to make them pity us. Maybe this could get us a sponsor or two. Then I had the best idea. I grinned over at Katniss and swung my hands up, still clutching a hand on either side. I peeked at the screen again and was glad to see that Katniss and Fang had mirrored my actions and the audience was going absolutely ape.

When we finally reached the end, we let our aching arms drop, but kept a tight hold of each other. President Snow gave his speech that he gave every year. That one that explained why we have the Hunger Games. I won't go into detail, but basically, the Districts rebelled and the Capitol crushed them, completely obliterating 13. Blah, blah, blah. The usual.

Then we rolled away again. After we had stopped in the starting area again, I sighed.

"Um... Max?" I heard Fang say beside me. "You're cutting off the circulation."

I went to glare at him and realised I had let go of Peeta's hand, but not Fang's. I blushed, furious at myself for noticing how warm his hands were and let go. Cinna, Portia and a slightly drunk Haymitch were waiting for us when we stepped off the carraige.

"Wonderful!" Portia was bouncing in her ridiculous heels, which must have been hard, because they were at least six inches tall.

"My thoughts exactly," Haymitch grinned. "Whose idea was raising your hands?"

The others pointed at me and I smirked, a little sheepish.

Three hours later, Haymitch was still going on about how it was the 'icing on the cake'. None of us knew what he meant and we were too tired to ask.

That night, I fell asleep almost happy. The Capitol had notcied us for once. District Twelve was normally ignored. We were weak and often wiped out in the initial blood-bath at the Cornucopia. The only regret of mine was that I had left my family back at home, watching me being sentenced to death. I dreamed of terror.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, lovley readers! **

**So now it's the summer holidays, I should be ladling the chapters on. But, I can't improve if you don't review, so as many as possible please! **

**Happy reading :) x**

Fang's POV

I managed to get about an hour of sleep. I was just too restless. Silently, I padded out to the 'living room' of the twelfth floor. There was a huge window looking over the city and I sat on the windowsill. I'd never had anything like this place in District 12.

I was an orphan and I managed to scrape a living with my brother, Iggy, by going a little way into the forest and chopping wood to sell, usually to the Peacekeepers, as noone else could afford to buy it. Our prices were low, but their wages were lower. We never went very far, but we still cut enough to pay for the essentials: clothes, food, water etc.

Our house was right in front of the fence separating the Seam and the forest, and there was a split in the fence, just big enough for us to slip through. It made it a lot easier to hide our 'profession' from the Peacekeepers, although there wasn't much need for that.

Footsteps behind he drew me away from home and the painful thoughts of Iggy. I glimpsed a head of unruly, light brown hair in the corner of my eye. It was Max.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked.

She leaped about a foot into the air and faced me, glowering.

"No, I came in here because I like to be tired" she answered sarcastically.

I sighed. She still hated me, and I'd been nothing but nice to her. I wouldn't be anything less, because I couldn't bear to see her in pain. I didn't know how, or why, but this girl, who treated me like a bomb about to explode, had an effect on me like no other girl before her. It was hard to keep my cool around her, but I managed, just.

"What are you staring at?"

Blushing wasn't a frequent occurrence with me, but I'm pretty sure I did then. "Nothing" I muttered and looked away.

Sitting down beside me, she ran her fingers through her hair absent-mindedly. The smallest things about her were the best things.

"You're staring again." She didn't look at me as she said it.

"You're not even looking at me, how can you tell?" I wanted to keep her talking, her voice was musical, like a lullaby to me.

"I can feel your eyes burning a hole in my head." Now she looked around, fixing her large, chocolate brown eyes on me.

"Well it's hard to tear my gaze away."

She raised her hands and flopped them down on her lap. Then she looked at me properly, colouring when she noticed I was only wearing black tracksuit bottoms. I smirked, secretly glad that she was aware of my toned muscled.

"Like what you see?"

She huffed. "You're so obnoxious!"

I waited a while, just watching her.

"I don't want this to take anything of me away." She murmured. I nodded empathetically. "I want to still be Maximum Ride when I die, not some lost tribute. Another peice in their games, because that would be giving in, and I never, ever give in. But it's so hard."

I didn't reply straight away. "You don't have a choice in the Hunger Games changing you, you change with the experience. But it doesn't mean you have to lose your old self within the new details."

She shook her head in amazement. "You know, someimes, when you aren't being insufferable, you give pretty good advice."

"Well how else is an orphan gonna survive in the Seam? You have to grow up quickly."

She gaped at me. "You're an orphan?"

"Yep. The whole seventeen years of my life." I shuddered, remembering the haunting dreams of my mother I had back home. "I'm not on the system, because technically, I died with my mother, along with my twin, Iggy. That's why we don't work in the mines."

I didn't know why I was telling her this, but something about her open face, her eyes, so full of understanding, made me want to sit there and tell her my life story.

"You're seventeen." Her quiet remark broke the spell.

"Yes" I said shortly, and got up to leave, to try and get some sleep before training the next morning.

"Wait!" She scrambled to her feet. "You aren't as bad as you first seemed. Just, next time you meet someone, try to be a bit nicer. That way, you'll make more friends and hopefully get us some sponsors."

"Point taken." I was a bit snappy and I saw hurt reflect in her eyes.

She ran back to her room, tripping over her blue pyjamas. My shoulders sagged and my head drooped. This wasn't going to help me get into her good books, but she was just so difficult to handle.

Hopefully, training would go better.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry guys! My laptop broke so I couldn't post anything, but here's the next one. Hope you like it!**

Peeta's POV

Out on the roof was so much better than locked up in my room. It was like I had more room to think, more freedom. Well, as much freedom as it was possible to have when you're being held hostage and sentenced to death.

"You should be sleeping."

I started, but didn't turn around. I should have known that the peace couldn't last for long. Katniss had crept up behind me and, although I would rather be alone, I didn't mind her being there. I was still a little frazzled from the chariot ride, though.

"I couldn't. I didn't want to" I muttered, knowing she was close enough to hear. " I wanted some time to think."

She came and sat by me. "About?"

"Home" I replied, simply. "What it would have been like if some other guy had been reaped. If I were safe."

She was quiet for a while and I studied her. Her dark brown locks were curling beautifully around her shoulders and her piercing grey eyes were half-closed. It took all my will not to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wouldn't want to miss the party." Katniss gazed down at the festive Capitol citizens. "It is for us, after all."

"Only we don't get to enjoy it, really." She looked at me curiously.

"Something's bothering you."

She was right, something was bothering me. A lot. I sighed and relented.

"I don't want the Games to change me. I want to be myself when I die, you know?" Then I let go completely. "I just want to die in my own way, on my own terms. Not the Capitol's. I want to make them see that tributes aren't just pieces in their stupid Games. We're people too. Maybe if we could prove that to them, maybe the Games would stop."

I looked away, suddenly afraid that Katniss would tell someone everything I had said. But that was ridiculous, right? She didn't want to be here as much as me.

"It's going to take a lot more than some sentimental words to bring the Games down." Her eyes turned to steel. "They would just find a way to kill you."

With that final comment, she strode off, leaving me to ponder her words. It wasn't a big thing to ask, to die the way I wanted, but apparently, that was not an option.

_Well,_ I thought, _at least I would enter the void, knowing that Katniss knew I existed. _

_I will die happy. _


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long wait. HUGE writers block. Anyways, enjoy!**

Max's POV

Breakfast the next morning was less uncomfortable than any so far. I was able to enjoy the food, as I was now used to the richness of it. I had managed to put on a few pounds since we left home, which was good because I would need the extra weight in the arena.

"Right" Haymitch said. "Training starts today, so if any of you have any particular strengths, I need to know."

Katniss shook her head at the same time as me.

"No, not really" she replied.

"That's not true."

Everyone looked round in surprise at Peeta who was staring determinedly at Katniss. Haymitch blinked at the unexpected outburst.

"Oh, do tell" Haymitch leaned forward, hands under his chin.

Peeta blushed furiously.

"My father buys her squirrels, she gets them in the eye every time." He fiddled with a bread roll. "She never misses with a bow and arrow."

Katniss was taken aback.

"Max sometimes puts a knife in their tails, too."

My head automatically snapped round to glower at Fang, but he carried on.

"People at the Hob are always going on about how good they are."

Anger flared up inside me and, without realizing what I was doing, I retaliated.

"Fang's a pickpocket. He could rob the tail off a cat without it noticing."

He looked as shocked as I felt, but I kept my face impassive as I stared him down. Katniss followed my example, though I'm not sure why.

"Peeta can lift fifty kilos easily. I've seen him at it in the market with bags of flour. That's not nothing."

Peeta snorted. "Oh, yeah. I suppose there will be loads of bags of flour in the arena for me to throw at people."

Katniss huffed and glanced at me.

I couldn't believe it. We had kept track of these two boys, whom we barely knew, or at least thought we barely knew.

"There is one more thing to Max's advantage." Cinna said slowly.

I sighed. "Are you sure?"

Cinna nodded. "They're going to find out anyway, plus Haymitch will need to know. It might scare them a bit though."

I chuckled and nodded.

Earlier that day, I had put slits in the back of my brown top to make more room for my wings so they were less cramped. Put a black jacket over that and I looked no different than normal.

But now, I slid the jacket off and fully extended my wings, showing them in all their glory. The reactions were hilarious. Effie shrieked and fell off her stool in a very un-lady like way. Haymitch started and then began laughing, truly laughing. Portia, Fang and Peeta gaped openly.

"Close your mouths, unless you want to catch a fly" I giggled.

I reached over and pushed Fangs hanging jaw shut. Effie managed to pull herself back onto her seat and straightened her ridiculous wig.

"Well," she huffed "I think the odds are going to be in our favor this year."

Katniss and Cinna doubled over with laughter as I tried to keep a straight face. It was, and wasn't funny.

When everybody calmed down, I lowered my wings and carried on eating. I didn't bother putting my jacket back on, there was no point in being uncomfortable when I didn't need to be.

Haymitch scratched at the rough stubble on his chin. "Turns out we got a talented bunch this year. We might just be able to bring one of you home."

We all became very somber very fast.

"So here is the strategy. Avoid the stations you are good at. Learn to throw a spear, or set a snare. But what you must do, is stick together."

That didn't sound like fun at all, spending all my time in the presence of Fang. Katniss began to protest.

"Ah, ah, ah" Haymitch waggled his finger. "I want you to be _friends_. Or pretend to be, it doesn't matter. It will throw the opposition off."

I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.


	12. Chapter 12

**I am really sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'm not gonna lie and say I was busy, because I wasn't. Actually, I was drowning in my own feels and didn't have the motivation to write another chapter until last night, when I was trying to go to sleep :/**

**Anyways, enjoy! xx**

****Katniss' POV

The ride down to training was silent. I was secretly glad, because the elevator was kind of fun. People looked like ants from the top if the glass tube, then they grew to normal sized humans.

We were the last to arrive, but exactly on time, so we didn't miss the speech from the Head Trainer, Atala.

**(Yes, that is her, I looked it up!)**

I peeked at the other tributes while she read out the list of stations. Most of them, to my dismay, were a lot bigger than me or Max, even with her feathery extensions. Kannok was about average height in the group, but still thin, but Peeta was shorter still than me. Fortunately, mine and Max's time in the woods had paid off. We were skinny and small, but healthier and fitter than most of the other tributes, whose eyes were hollow, showing the extent of their suffering. Apparently, starvation wasn't exclusive to District Twelve. The Careers, however, were strong and well-fed, giving them an advantage. I could tell, just by looking, that they had been training for this since they could toddle, although, technically, it wasn't allowed.

When Atala sent us off to train, they nearly run to the biggest weapons in the center and begin to show off, twirling them about and tossing them about with ease. Shaking my head, I turned to the others and asked where they wanted to start.

"I think we should split into pairs" Fang said, slowly "and swap at lunchtime."

Peeta nodded. "Good idea, keeping Haymitch happy, but not making it too crowded."

"Come one, then." Fang slung his arm over Max's shoulders, astonishing her.

I smirked a little. It looked almost natural for them to be like that. I immediately chased the thought away, Max would kill me if she new I had even contemplated the thought.

"He said friends, Fang" she muttered as he led her away to the fire starting station. "So don't make me punch you."

I giggled internally, knowing that Fang and the trainer were in for a shock. Max could start a fire in a hurricane if she tried.

"Soo," Peeta's voice made me jump "where to?"

"Um..." I thought for a second. Then Gale and his snares popped into my head. "Knot tying. Maybe we can learn to set some snares."

"Lead the way" he smiled.

And the training began.


	13. Chapter 13

**New chapter almost straight away to make up for the long wait for the last one! This one has all the tribute names in it and yes, they are proper names. I tried to pick them so their meanings correspond to the District they are in. **

**Anyways, enjoy! x**

Max's Pov

That night, we watched a recap of the reapings. It started with District 1, and ended with us, showing a photo of every single tribute.

**District 1: **

Marvel, Jin, Glimmer, Orla

**District 2:**

Cato, Ari, Clove, Myra

**District 3:**

Emil, Toddeo, Lalage, Waneta

**District 4: **

Priam, Dacre, Alaula, Rayna

**District 5:**

Ieuaf, Flint, Veda **(foxface)**, Tita

**District 6: **

Abel, Zev, Branwen, Fulca

**District 7: **

Silas, Haroun, Cass, Vivyan

**District 8: **

Laban, Frewin, Velvet, Uta

**District 9: **

Aviv, Goren, Kasha, Zia

**District 10: **

Brent, Cuvier, Fauna, Linnet

**District 11: **

Thresh, Hurst, Rue, Aiyana

**District 12: **

Peeta, Fang, Katniss, Maximum

I shuddered at my name, thinking what it would have been like if I had just let Ella go, let her walk up to the stage instead of me. I couldn't imagine it, because it wouldn't happen, no matter what. Just like Katniss would never let Prim in the Hunger Games if she could do anything about it.

Training the rest of the week went on as normal. First day, I shocked the fire starting trainer by lighting a fire in ten seconds flat with the flint. So, he gave me wet wood and watched in awe as I lit that in thirty seconds. Fang whistled and had a go, then we moved on. Knife throwing, easy peasy. Haymitch said I didn't have to hide that strength because I could fly around in my private session. Climbing was my worst station because of my back. If I could have my wings free, then I could just fly to the top, but I decided I would take the precaution in case one of my wings got damaged. Archery I wasn't too bad at, but that was more Katniss' strong point. Wrestling with Fang was pointless. He just slipped away and poked me in the ribs, making me squeal and glower at him. After lunch, Katniss and I talked tactics for a while and then went to the plants station. We took the test immediately and passed with flying colours without blinking an eye.

Training went on like this for three days, train, eat, train. I sometimes trained with Peeta, but that was usually filled with meaningless small talk and false laughs. He was a nice guy, but I thought Katniss would deal with him better.

The day training ended, Effie came into the gym and announced that we had a big, big, big day tomorrow, so we had to go get dinner and go straight to bed. I sighed inwardly. Effie wasn't so bad really, just a bit clueless about what the Hunger Games was really about.

The next day was a big, big, big day, because we had to practise and be prepped for our interview with Ceasar Flickerman. I wasn't looking forward to this at all.


	14. Chapter 14

**Really sorry for the long wait! Been soo busy with the start of term :/**

**Enough wibbling. **

**Enjoy xx**

Katniss' POV

Preparing for the interview was hell. The day ended with Max and I being called mushed up snails by Haymitch, which I thought was a bit much. Effie managed to get me into heels, but Max got flats because of her 'feathery little problem'. I practically cried when I took those awful shoes off, because the relief was so sweet. I couldn't see how Effie could walk around in them all day. Our outfits are the same, orange silk dresses with tiny jewels sewn all over the dress.

Our instructions were to try to be nicer than usual and not to fall over. Shouldn't have been hard. The only good bit of advice came from Cinna.

"Pretend you're talking to me. I find you girls quite delightful." He smiled encouragingly and pushed us gently towards the stage.

The interviews were being done in twos because there was only a certain amount of time the Capitol people would be interested for. All the other tributes had been charming, funny and not at all mushed-up-snail-like. I was starting to feel a bit sick.

"Katniss Everdeen and Maximum Ride, the girls on fire!"

The call for us came and we strode onstage. The crowd roared and my stomach dropped away. A poke in the arm from Max prompted me to take one of the two seats next to Caesar Flickerman. His hair and suit were midnight blue this year and they were sparkling just as much as his eyes. He did his best with us.

"So, did you two know each other back in District 12?"

I nodded, ignoring the audience and pretending that Caesar was Cinna.

"We've been best friends for years." Max supplied.

The crowd gasped and rustled at this new tragedy. The beautiful, flaming girls who made such an impression in their chariot were being sent to their deaths, possibly to kill one another.

"Oh dear!" Caesar Flickerman looked horrified, but then his dazzling smile returned. "I thought you two were joined at the hip when you walked on."

I chuckled. "That's what everyone says back home."

"Is it now?" Everyone else giggled. Not laughed, giggled.

"So, Max. What is wrong with your back?"

Nobody but me noticed her go a shade paler. She looked like she was going to vomit. This always happened when someone asked that question.

"Genetic problem." I swooped in and rescued her from the inquiry. "She's had it since birth."

"Ah." Caesar leaned forward. "Have you two ever had any boy troubles?"

This time we both laughed.

"No boy has come between us. Ever." Max said.

"And never will." I finished firmly.

" Well, then. That's determination right there folks!" The audience clapped enthusiastically.

I grinned at them widely. This wasn't so bad. I just had to forget that they wanted me to kill or be killed.

"So tell us, how did you get such high scores in training? Two eights, a first, I think, from District Twelve."

At this, I faltered. This time, Max took over.

"I don't think we're allowed to tell you. Is that right.?" She glanced up at the Gamemakers, who were sat on a special balcony just for them. A few shouted 'yes'. "There you go then."

I recovered. "But we do have a few little somethings hidden up our sleeves."

Max elbowed me in the ribs as the buzzer sounded.

"I would love to find out what those somethings are, but I'm afraid our time is up." Caesar stood up. "Are you wearing your flames today?"

I looked at Max, who winked. We stepped to the front of the stage and began to twirl. The flames licked round my feet and face, as the equipment was at the neckline and hem of our dresses. The audience cried out and clapped loudly. I stopped spinning and curtsied, taking Max's hand so she would do the same.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the girls on FIRE!" Caesar yelled.

We curtsied again and exited the other side of the stage. I was flustered, but happy. We had obviously made an even bigger impression, as the best friends in fire.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for your support guys! I've had some really encouraging reviews :)**

**Enjoy x**

Max's POV

We sat down to listen to the boy's strategies. It would be useful in case Katniss and I could use them. Fang was dark and mysterious, which suited him perfectly. Peeta was a natural comedian and he started out with some joke about roses.

Then Caesar asked the same sort of question he asked us.

"Is there a girl back home for either of you."

Fang and Peeta exchanged an uneasy glance.

"No, not really." Fang answered.

"I don't believe you for a second." Caesar grinned. "Two dashing young lads like yourselves, the girls must be falling at your feet."

Peeta caved first.

"Well there is this girl I've loved since forever, but I don't think she even knew I existed until the reaping."

"Oh, that's sad." Caesar wiped a pretend tear away. "So here's what you do. You win, you go back and ask her out. Then she can't refuse!"

The crowd roared in approval, but Peeta shook his head. Fang looked at his toes.

"It's not that easy." Fang spoke quietly, but his voice carried and the audience was silent. "Peeta and I have the same problem, and we've come to be friends because of it. There's no chance of either of us asking those girls out if there's only one winner."

"Ah, a bit of rivalry then?"

Peeta sighed. "No. They came here with us."

The noise that erupted in the crowd was deafening. Screeches and miserable wails at their misfortune. It was only then that I realized that they meant me and Katniss. Slowly, I turned to face her, trying to keep my composure. She was wearing the same calm, leveled expression that I must have had, but she was bright red. We stared at each other, wondering who wanted who. Caesar asked for us.

"So which is which?" he said as the moaning died down.

Fang met my eyes as Peeta said "Katniss".

"Max."

His voice echoed through my mind as I absorbed the information. Fang wanted me. I couldn't think anything but this: why?


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, you were really encouraging. And no, RaBecka, I don't want to kill you... **

**To all of you who were wondering, Fang will have wings, just not now. K? **

**Anyways, enjoy XD**

Haymitch's POV

They had played it perfectly. The boys revealed their unfortunate situations and the unsuspecting girls reacted exactly as I wanted them to. The aftermath wasn't what I expected.

No sooner had we gotten off the elevator at 12's floor, Katniss shoved Peeta into a vase and Max punched Fang in the schnoz.

"What was that?" they yelled at the same time.

They were angry and strong. I felt a flicker of hope in my chest. These ones were resistant, more so than any before them, except me of course. Unfortunately, if I didn't intervene soon, the girls might kill the poor, lovesick boys before they even reached the arena. I whistled shrilly over their continued shouting. It did the trick, they stopped and turned to glare at me.

"Calm down, sweethearts. This was planned." I smiled easily.

"They made us look weak!" shrieked Katniss, furious that I was in on it.

"They made you look desirable. The Capitol loves a good tragedy, you know that. The best I could say about you after your interview was that you were lovely girls, absolutely inseperable." I squinted at her, as the world was sliding in and out of focus. "Now I can say both your pasts are filled with boys trailing after you, pining for your affections. You just gained a huge asset and you should be thanking them" I pointed unsteadily at the two boys climbing to their feet. "Not assaulting them."

Katniss looked apropriately guilty, but Max was still fuming.

"Why weren't we told?" she growled, clenching and un-clenching her fists.

Effie interrupted. "Your reactions had to be perfect! You did just fine."

With that short comment, she bustled off to call for a medical team for Peeta. I poked Fang, who was holding his nose, which was streaming with blood.

"You." With a trembling hand, I waved him towards the bathroom. "Go get that cleaned up."

He obediently headed through the pristine white door. I rounded on the other three.

"Peeta, you stay here 'til the medical team arrive and pick the china out of your arm. Katniss and Max, follow me." I snarled. I headed to the bar.

Pouring myself a large whiskey from behind the bar, I took a gulp and the universe was steady again.

"You two are determined to die aren't you?" I laughed at their astonished faces. "Joking... joking..."

Their scowls returned and I couldn't help comparing them to me when I was their age.

They were exactly the same as me. Cautious, determined, instinctive and resourceful. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but those were the best qualities any tribute could have.

"Each of you could survive this." I began, staring them down. "But the Gamemakers add variables that make the Hunger Games unpredictable. There could be poisonous bug, or carnivorous plants. You never know what's coming next. Getting sponsors is your best bet for getting things you need when you need it, and beating up the reason they will want to sponsor you isn't going to put you in their favour." I paused in my rant to take a breath. "So, you have to start acting the part, or you _will_ die in that arena. No arguments, now go away."

Katniss raised her eyebrows at Max and she grinned back. They marched round the bar and positioned themselves either side of me. I put my drink down carefully, no quite sure what they were about to do, which was rare. The were still smiling and I could only see one of them at once. Good tactics, I thought.

"One." Katniss said slyly.

"Two." continued Max.

"THREE" they both yelled and smashed the heels of their palms into my upper arms.

This effectively gave me two dead arms.

"You'd better apologies!" I roared after them and for once, I didn't mean to me.


	17. Chapter 17

**The remedy in this isn't actually real, so don't try it at home :)**

Max's POV

I knew I had to sleep, but my brain, once again, wouldn't shut down. I padded down the hallway in a dressing gown and sat on the floor. For a while, I watched the world go by through the window. A thump behind me roused me from my trance-like state. I turned to see Fang stumbling down the corridor with his nose streaming with blood again. I jumped up and rushed over.

"Come here." I pulled him into the bathroom, sitting him down on the toilet. "Let me see."

One of the attendants rushed in as Fang groaned. I snorted, he was a little late to help.

"I need some faryoung leaves, can you get them for me?" I asked the attendant, while staunching the flood with tissue.

He nodded and rushed out again. I turned back to Fang and began to clean his face up. I found some medical tape and bandages in the cupboard and ripped them into thin pieces. Ella suffered from a condition that gave her frequent nosebleeds and I knew exactly what to do. The attendant reappeared with a bag of grey-green leaves, maybe he wasn't so slow after all. I took half the leaves and positioned them under Fangs nose. Then I wrapped the bandages around them and secured them with the tape. Ipulled him to his feet again and into the kitchen, sitting him on a bar stool. I vaguely wondered where the attendant had gone, but pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I used the rest of the leaves to brew faryoung and honey tea. For a second or two, I could pretend I was home, sat in the kitchen with Ella after one of her nosebleeds.

"Why did you do it?" Fangs voice floated over to me.

I froze. Why had I done it?

"Instinct, I guess. Ella gets nosebleeds all the time, so I had to learn how to stop them."

"Oh."

I could practically feel his gaze resting on me.

"What?" I asked, his staring was making me nervous.

"You're so good at this."

"No, I'm not." I handed him the tea. "You should see mine and Katniss' moms and sisters. They're magic. By the way, you need to take that off in three hours."

I wasn't completely sure why I was telling him this, but I felt safe telling him things. Like he would keep my secrets.

"What about you?" I changed the subject away from me before I said too much. "What's your family like?"

I was a bit surprised to find that I was genuinely curious. He raised an eyebrow.

"I only have Iggy. He's a bit of a pyromaniac, but we're brothers. Just as close as you and Katniss."

I hummed. I thought I knew Iggy. He was the blind kid who Greasy Sae was always talking about. she once declared that he was the most entertaining person she had ever come across. I didn't know how anyone like that could be related to Fang, who saw all and joked very little.

"Word is, your brother is the biggest joker there is in 12." I offered, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah," he smiled sadly. "He's the goof in town alright."

I could see the small talk wasn't working, so I asked the question that was slowly burning the back of my mind.

"Why me?"

He looked up and met my dull, brown eyes with his almost-black ones.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met. You say what you think and you will stand by your opinion. Most of all, you are fiercely protective, even if it means hurting yourself. You volunteering for your sister proves that."He put his mug down. "I've always watched, never approaching. But now I'm going to die anyway, so it doesn't really matter if everyone knows."

With that last remark, he stood and left. I sat there for God knows how long, until I finally decided that I wouldn't kill him unless I had to. The protective blanket I had over my mother and Ella was beginning to open up to Fang.

And I liked it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Didn't have anything left to do, apart from start the games, so here it is! **

**Enjoy :)**

Katniss POV

I had a dreamless sleep, but when I woke up, nothing seemed real. I floated through breakfast without talking to anyone. Not that anyone was talking, but still. Max appeared as dazed as I was. In my hazy state, I noticed more than usual. I noticed the slight minty green tinge under Fangs nose that Ella usually had. Faryoung leaves were the only thing I knew of that left that glow. Max was the only other one in this room who knew about that plant, because my father discovered it. I had shared the properties with her to help Ella. Fang's nose must have carried on bleeding through the night. I made a mental note to talk to Max about that later.

I also noticed that Peeta was glancing at me frequently, as if expecting me to collapse, or something. I smiled in an attempt to reassure him. He wasn't a bad person and I had already managed to nearly rip his hands to shreds. I felt bad, sure, but I would kill him if it came to it.

"RIGHT" Haymitch yelled, scaring the bejeezus out of me. "Come here, you four."

We gathered in front of him.

"I want you to listen. This is what I want you to do. Max..." He proceeded to explain what he wanted us to do.

It was a good plan, but it meant that I would have to collect twice as many backpacks.

"When you've got what you can and everyone else started to move, you MUST run. Get to higher ground. Find water."

"Okay," I said. "Any advice apart from that?"

A bell sounded to summon us to the hovercrafts.

"Stay alive" said Haymitch.

We all chuckled and left. Time to face the arena. We got into the hovercraft and had trackers injected into our arms.

"Don't want to lose you, do we?" smiled an attendant.

I shuddered to think how they would get it out when one of us won. But then, that was nothing compared to the injuries that all of us would sustain in when we got started. Three hours later, we landed and filed into an underground complex. The tributes were separated into Districts, then genders and led to different rooms. We were offered food and drinks, but I only had a glass of water, sipping it slowly. Max, ever the pig, had a full bowl of beef stew and bread.

"Piggy piggy" I called her, poking her in the stomach.

She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Oink oink." she said, poking me back.

For a while, we sat in silence, arms linked, just enjoying each others presence. Cinna strolled in, looking calm and relaxed. This kind of had an effect on me, un-tensing all of my muscles and bringing a smile to my face.

"Hey there, girls. How are you?" he inquired.

"Not too bad, considering" replied Max.

"Considering we're gonna die" I finished.

Cinna looked a little upset. "I don't believe either of you will go down without a fight."

He took one of our hands in each of his.

"If it makes you feel any better, if I were allowed to bet, I'd be betting on you two. The girl on fire," he squeezed my hand. "and the girl of air."

We grinned at him. Another bell rang and the tubes at either side of the room opened. I hugged Max fiercely and then Cinna. Stepping in the tube on the right side of the room, I gave what I hoped to be a jaunty wave. The disk underneath me began to rise and Cinna disappeared from view.

I was rising to meet the Hunger Games.


	19. Chapter 19

Max's POV

The arena was almost the same as the area behind the Seam. Tall pine trees, willows and beeches made up a forest in one third of the Cornucopia, fields was another third and the last was a large, silvery lake. I decided on the forest because that was the most familiar territory. The countdown of thirty seconds began.

Once it got to fifteen, it shifted my wings, searching for the slits that should be in the back.

Ten seconds.

I slipped my wings out, but didn't unfold them.

Five seconds.

Four.

Three.

Two.

I extended my wings fully and prepared to do a standing take off. I was better at running, but standing still was possible. I crouched and peered round, most of the other tributes were now gaping at me and my lovely display.

Zero.

I jumped as high as I could while bringing my wings down too. I brought them up and pumped them down again. I was on the move. I glanced down to see four empty plates ad the rest still occupied. None of them had seemed to notice the loud bugle that announced the start of the 74th Hunger Games. I grinned and swooped down, snatching up a rack of knives and a dark brown rucksack. I was glad to see that Katniss, Fang and Peeta had already picked up what they wanted and scurried off. Katniss I knew had gone to the forest. Home territory. I swooped again and grabbed an orange backpack and circled the area. Some of the other tributes had stepped off their plates by now. I waved a little bit and soared over to the forest. Locating Katniss with the raptor vision that came with the wings, I folded my tawny feathers into a streamlined position and dived at her. I snapped my wings out at the last moment and landed roughly, rolling to prevent broken legs.

"Great opening I would say" grinned Katniss.

I laughed.

"I'll bet it's a first!"

We laughed heartily and moved on. Get under cover and find water, that's what Haymitch had said.

Look out, Hunger Games, 'cause here comes Max.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys, **

**I'm getting some kind of writers block, and I'm running out of ideas, so could you review and help? Thnx!**

**P.S. Katniss got all the same things in her bag, but she also got a loaf of bread. **

**Enjoy x**

Fang's POV

I blinked in the sunlight as I rose from the tube and onto the platform. Forest, lake, field. Decisions, decisions. I chose forest, duh. I knew the trees and which would burn slowest and with the least smoke, I knew which trees bark was edible. I knew how to survive, because I had been doing it all my life. I smirked.

Three.

Out of habit, I glanced around for Max and noticed she already had her wings out.

Two.

She extended them in all their tawny glory, the feathers shimmering in the light as if she had cleaned them just the night before.

One.

Max crouched and spread the cinnamon-coloured attachments.

Go.

She jumped up and beat her wings, looking for all her might like a bird. All the other tributes were staring, but I was gone. I picked my way over the pile and pulled out a Ninja-To, Nunckuku and a couple of Sai. **(All ninja weapons)** I also grabbed a large pack that was very heavy. Thankfully, years of dragging trees through the fence had given me muscle and it was no weight at all for me.

I dashed for the edge of the forest just as the first person stepped off their plate, a large boy from 2. He looked dazed, but murderous and immediately snapped the neck of the person nearest to him, a girl from the same district. I made sure Katniss and Peeta were safely gone and melted into the forest. I located Katniss quite easily because I could guess the route she would take and it meant that Max would soon drop in. Katniss was equipped with a silver bow and quiver and a knife at her belt. I followed her for about ten minutes and then a sudden whoomph announced Max's arrival.

"Great opening, I would say."

"I'll bet it's a first."

Their voices wafted through the foliage and drifted away as they chattered about how the citizens of the Capitol would react. I slithered after them and tracked them through the arena. When they stopped for the night, I found a nearby tree and scaled it quickly. This way, I could keep Max safe. That was all I needed, for her to win.

I pushed the Sai in my belt, buckled the sword on (over the shoulder diagonally) and tucked the Nunchuku under the strap. I grabbed the pack and searched through it. A sleeping bag with a fuzzy inside. That would be useful, seeing as cold nights would probably be on their way. A first aid kit, a knife with serrated edges, a full two litre bottle and a small bottle of iodine, a small black pot/cauldron thing, a pair of night glasses and a pack of matches. I wouldn't be needing the latter, I had learned how to start a fire just using sticks at the age of seven. The cannon began to boom and I snuggled down in a flat bit of tree and waited for the dead list in the sky. The anthem came on and the Capitol seal was shown in the sky.

Girl 1

All 3

Both girls 4

Boy and Girl 5

Boy 6

All 7

Both boys and girl 9

All 10

Girl 11

The seal glowed again and disappeared. I settled to get some sleep.

A bright glow came from under the tree next to me. Stupid, stupid. Both girls from eight had lit a fire between mine and Max's. A rowdy party could be heard in the distance and I stiffened, moving slightly so that I was hidden from the radiance of the flames.

"Cato, one each?" A male voice called.

"Yup" answered another.

I could hear the girls screaming and pleading, but they were soon silenced. The party cheered and moved on to the other side of the clump of trees where I could see them. A cannon sounded and the crowd laughed. Seven or eight by my count. No other cannon sounded, so one of the girls must still be alive.

"Ari, did you not kill her properly?" The 'Cato' guy sounded angry.

"I know how to kill, Cato" replied the other guy calmly. "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

A short shriek and a gurgling sound reached my ears and I guessed that he had grabbed the nearest person, probably a girl, and slit her throat.

"Who cares who got it wrong? I'll just go back and finish her and then we can move on."

I knew the third voice. I had been friends with the third voice. My brain whizzed as it tried to configure it to understand what I had learned. Peeta wasn't the type to join the bullies, yet there he was, hanging round them and catching their scraps. Footsteps went back to the girls by the embers of the campfire.

"Do you think we should kill him now? He can't do much more than hang around and clear up after us." A girl spoke.

Cato whipped round.

"We need him to find the other three. Then we can dispose of him. I said that before, weren't you listening!?" He raised his voice.

The girl shrank back, Glimmer I think her name was, and whispered something that I couldn't hear. He relaxed and turned away just as the traitor came through the clearing.

"Come on," said Ari. "Let's play hunt the birdie."

He grinned wolfishly and marched off with the others following.

My thoughts were swimming round my head as I tried to absorb all the new information. I soon tired of that activity, so I rifled through memories of Max, Iggy and home. I finally fell asleep, but that was restless and unsatisfying.

The nightmare had begun.


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry for not updating in so long! I had an operation and then I had this really good idea for a one-shot and I had to update my other story, Remorse, and now I'm babbling so I'll shut up and let you read. **

**Enjoy x**

Max's POV

The events of last night still echoed round my head. What had happened? Peeta was in with the careers. He had killed someone. I shook my head and roused Katniss. The party of careers had moved on and the forest was quiet. Today we had to find a water source. It didn't matter if we already had some, we needed a supply for when our bottles were empty.

"Come on, lazy butt" I muttered, jabbing Katniss in the ribs.

She stirred and moaned. I was already rolling up my sleeping bag and stuffing it unceremoniously in my pack. Katniss turned over and went back to sleep. I rolled my eyes and jumped down from the tree, using my wings as a parachute. Searching around, I found a nasty smelling plant called Crown Imperials. I plucked one from its stem and clambered back up to where Katniss slumbered. I grinned evilly and shoved the rotten-smelling flower under her nose.

"Eargh!"

I almost fell out of the tree laughing as Katniss recoiled from the stench and I dropped the orange flower.

"Alright, I'm up" Katniss grumbled. "Don't do that, it's just nasty."

"Yep" I replied. "I know."

We walked away from the lake and further into the forest. The thick green foilage gave us shade from the blazing sun, but we were still sweating within an hour. I flew underneath the canopy for a bit, searching ahead for water, but to no avail. I circled back round to Katniss.

"Do you actually think that there are any other water sources aside from the lake?" I panted.

Katniss offered me a slice of bread. "Yes. Last time they did that, the tributes were gone in three days."

I nodded and bit into the soft, floury bread. I heard a twig snap behind me and we both whipped around, knife and bow at the ready. There was no one there. Nothing but the trees. I glanced around nervously, wondering what could have made the noise. I could smell something familiar, though. Cookies and bacon. I tentatively asked if Katniss smelled it. She peered sideways at me.

"No, I don't smell cookies and bacon. Are you okay?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine I mumbled, having suddenly remembered where I had found that combination before.

Fang.

(Memory in third person)

_It was a hot summers day and the coal miners were just heading into the mines. Max was perched precariously on a tall fence post, watching them go. She was fourteen and strong for her age. Her blue eyes darted across the lines, searching for her brother, Gazzy, who was nineteen. His proper name was Zephyr, but the unspeakable way he could clear a room gave him a nickname that stuck, the Gasman. He had been in there for a day and a night, working overtime to feed his family. Max's smile widened when she spotted him helping other men out of the entrance. Max waved at him, almost falling off her post. Gazzy grinned and held up a finger, telling her to wait. That was the last thing they ever communicated. A few seconds later, the coal mine exploded, shrapnel flying in every direction. Max fell off the post and into someones arms. Someone who smelled of her two favourite items: cookies and bacon. She looked up and into deep pools of black. The eyes of a boy from school. _

_"Are you okay, Max?" he asked, setting her down gently. _

_"Uh... yeah... I'm fine. Thanks...?" Max trailed off uncertainly. _

_"Fang." The boy dressed in black held out his hand and Max shook it firmly. _

_"What were you doing up there anyway?" he asked, shuffling his feet. _

_"Me? Oh, I was waiting for... waiting for..." Max looked wildly around. "GAZZY!" _

_The girl ran over to her brother laying on the ground near the entrance to the mine. _

_"Gazzy" she moaned, turning him onto his back. "Gazzy, please wake up!" _

_Fang reappeared beside her. _

_"Max" he said softly. "He's gone." _

_"No he's not!" she yelled. "Zephyr Martinez, you wake up right now!" _

_She banged her fists on his chest, almost skewering her hand on the huge wooden stake protruding through his skin. _

_"Max! Stop, you'll hurt yourself!" Fang murmured, grabbing her wrists to prevent injury. _

_"DON'T you tell me what to do!" she shouted, trying to shake him off. _

_He wouldn't let go and Max collapsed in on him, sobbing against his chest. Fang was slightly surprised, but folded his arms around the weeping girl and rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair. It wasn't until the Peacekeepers arrived that Max pulled away and fled to her mother. When the grieving girl looked back, Fang was gone. What she didn't see, was the boy dressed in black, watching her look back from the building next to her. _

I pondered the memory and the scent, still wafting from a beech tree I was staring at. I felt a sharp poke on my arm, which brought my train of thought to a screeching halt. I shook my head and tied my hair up with a bit of string that had come off my pack earlier.

"Let's go" muttered my companion, still peeking at me in concern.

I went to follow her, but as I turned my head, I swear I spotted a flash of black among the brown and green.

_Fang. _


	22. Chapter 22

**For those of you who were wondering, I haven't been updating so much lately because I had a minor operation and it REALLY HURTS. That may just be me being a wuss, but oh well. Really long chapter compared to the others now, on with the story! **

**Enjoy x**

Katniss' POV

I kept glancing sideways at Max, worried that the arena might be starting to get to her already. She turned sharply and looked ebhind us quite a few times, searching the forest for something.

"Are you okay?" I muttered.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine" she replied.

I bent down and stuck my fingers in the earth at our feet, probing for any sign of mud. Nothing. Completely dry. I stood up and rolled my shoulders. We had been walking for most of the day, searching for another water source. A few cannons went off, signaling more tributes deaths. I had begun to wonder if Max was right about the lake being the only water source when I heard a sound. It was like a spring being stretched. I knew what that meant. Different areas of the arena were booby-trapped and if you triggered it, you were in big trouble.

"Get down!" I yelled and both of us hit the floor as a fireball whizzed over our heads. "Move!"

We scrambled to our feet and dashed away from the direction it had come from, only to be stopped in our tracks by another burning missile.

"Split!" Max called and sprinted to the left.

I scampered to the right and was grazed on the calf by another chunk of flying fire. I screamed in agony. The burn stung and throbbed and I scanned the scene for my best friend and spotted her rushing towards me. I watched in horror as a falling branch smashed her on the head and she fell to the ground, not moving. I screeched her name and limped towards her as fast as I could while avoiding the fireballs. I was nearly at her still figure when a large dark shape darted to her side. I growled and ignored the pain in my leg. I ran to the thing bending over Max and went to barrel into it. I stopped.

It was Fang.

I touched his shoulder and he turned to look at me. Something in his eyes was fiercely protective and I knew that I could trust him, at least for a little while. I gestured to my leg and he nodded. He slung Max carefully over his shoulders and trekked away. I managed to pursue him at a fast enough rate so I didn't lose sight of him. Occasionally, he would pause and check behind to see if I was still there. The smoke slowly dissipated and I could see properly. I could also breathe properly and I noticed that I was much nicer to breathe clean air rather than smoke.

Finally, we reached a small river. There were large slabs of smooth rock surrounding it. I flopped down right beside the water, dropped my bow and quiver and dipped my leg in. My mother always said that water is the first thing you need with burns. The cool liquid sent a wave of relief through me as Fang set Max gently down. He came and sat by me. We didn't talk, just sat there. I was the first to speak.

"Why?"

Fang fiddles with the sleeve of his jacket as I observed him. He seemed to ponder this question for a while.

"I already told you why. I told everyone why" he muttered.

"Right" I rolled my eyes. "Because you have this mega-crush on her."

"No" he said forcefully, then he relaxed a little. "No, I don't have a crush on her."

"Then what?" I huffed, annoyed at the brick wall who didn't like to speak.

He said something very quietly and I had to ask him to repeat it.

"I love her."

"Oh."

The implications of this hit me like a ton of bricks. Fang was in love with my best friend. I knew she loved him too, because I'd seen it. Through the chatter, the boy sat next to me came up quite a lot. Every time, a crease appeared between her eyebrows, then it disappeared and a small smile graced her features.

"Are you going to talk to her about it?" I inquired, eager to get all the facts.

"Not unless she wants to talk" he replied, blatantly relieved at the fact I hadn't protested.

I decided I was going to play matchmaker. I snickered at the thought. Max in a relationship? Pfft.

A groan from the girl behind us made us both leap to our feet. Fang strode straight over to her, but the agony in my calf prevented me from going over. I dipped it back in the water and called out to the boy.

"Is she okay?"

He sat cross-legged beside her and performed a medical check I had seen my mother do so many times.

"Pulse is strong" he muttered. "No fever, grip my hand. No nerve damage. If there's no concussion, she should be fine."

"Bring her over here" I pleaded.

He picked her up, supporting her knees and her back and laid her tenderly beside me.

"Back up" I told him. "She's vicious when she's surprised."

He backed away quickly.

"Waudduppened?" moaned Max and I bent over her.

"We kinda set off a trap and got attacked by flying fireballs" I answered. "I didn't do it on my own, though. I had some help."

"Help?" Max was confused. "What help?"

I inclined my head towards Fang and she shot to her feet.

"Woah..." Max swayed.

Fang was at her side in an instant.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just need to sit..." she stumbled backwards and Fang caught her, lowering her to the ground.

Snickering, I gave Fang a look that said 'you're so in love' and he poked his tongue out at me. Max looked between us and shrugged. She opened her wings to find several feathers missing. She groaned.

"Three of my secondary feathers are singed! Do you have any idea how long it takes for them to grow back!?"

"Three months, four days, seven hours and fifteen seconds?" I suggested.

Max whacked me lightly on the arm.

"I might as well pull them out." I went to grab one. "No, don't you idiot!"

"Yeah, I remember, they bleed a lot too, don't they?" I laughed.

"Shh!" Max interrupted.

"Wh-"

"Shh!"

We all listened and a faint sound floated through the trees. Laughter and squeals. The Careers were just coming out of the treeline the other side of the river and had spotted us.

"Go!" Fang whispered. "Now."

We scurried into the cover of the forest, me reluctantly because I didn't grab my bow and quiver. I found a suitable tree for climbing and put my hands together for Max. She ran up to me, planted a foot in my cupped hands and jumped as high as she could as I pushed up. Fang did the same for me and I caught a branch two lower than Max. He swung up easily to where we were and as one, we scaled the rest of the tree. We were very high up by the time the party reached the base of our sanctuary.

"Hey up there!" called the blonde guy who was obviously a leader. "Why don't you come down here and have a chat with us?"

"Nah," I called back. "We're good up here."

"Mind if I join you?" hollered the wolfish-looking boy.

"Not at all" replied Max.

We all knew that they would fall before they reached us, because, although we were strong, none of us weighed very much. Fang weighed sixty kilos at the most. The boy got about three or four meters up and then fell, landing hard on his backside. Max and I snorted with laughter and peered back down again. The girl, Glimmer aimed MY bow at us and attempted to shoot us out of the tree, but she missed and I snatched up the arrow. The two dominant boys appeared to be having an argument. A third guy broke through the quarreling and made a suggestion. I recognized the voice and I nearly fell out the tree.

"Let's just wait until they have to come down. They can't stay up there forever" Peeta advised.

"Yeah, that's true, Cato" the wolfish boy admitted, poking the blonde boy.

"See, Ari, I told you we shouldn't kill him" Cato replied. "Make camp, we'll get them when they come down."

The group did so and I turned back to the others.

"Looks like we're sleeping up here tonight" Max said.

"No, really?" My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Ladies," Fang cut in. "We're all tired and we are gonna need some rest if we're going to figure out how to escape. If you hadn't noticed, we can't get to any other trees from here."

"Fine." Max huffed. "I need to clean my feathers anyway. They're all full of soot."

I rolled my eyes, not for the first time that day, and climbed a little higher to settle down for the night. I hung back to talk to our new male companion.

"I'll trust you for now, but if you try anything," I held up the knife that came in the pack. "This knife goes between your ribs."

His eyes twitched and he gave a sharp nod. He clambered up to a branch lower than Max and pulled out his sleeping bag from his pack. I scaled the tree up to where Max sat, brushing off her wings, one tawny feather at a time.

"Max" she looked up when I addressed her. "I know you don't want to, but give him a chance, okay?"

Max scowled, but bowed her head as affirmation. I grinned and climbed a branch higher. I snuggled down into my sleeping bag and lay there for what felt like ages, trying to think of a way to get us out of the mess we were in. A flash of light in a nearby tree made me sit upright. A small, dark girl sat in the branches opposite me. I waved slightly, remembering her as the one who stole Cato's favourite knife. Rue. She smiled back and pointed to something above my head, waved her fist back and forth and pointed at the ground. She made the same series of motions and this time, I glance up to see what she had pointed at. A tracker jacker nest was perched on a branch a couple of meters above. I gave Rue thumbs up and she disappeared. The rustling of leaves told me that she was swinging from tree to tree. I smiled, realizing that she was the one from District Eleven who got an eight. I could just imagine her flying around the training gym, never touching the floor. I rose to where the nest was and used the serrated edge to saw halfway through the branch. I could do the rest in the morning. For now I would tell the others my plan and get some sleep.

Tomorrow, the Careers would suffer.


	23. Chapter 23

**Not very inspired for this story at the moment, but I try my best. One of my other stories is coming to a close and I'm really sad, because I liked writing that one. I don't usually like creative writing, so it was a really nice change, as is this story. **

**Enjoy x **

Max's POV

I liked Katniss' plan. If the nest didn't get caught on the way down, then the tracker-jackers would lock onto the Career party and chase them away.

The next morning, we woke early, this time not via stinky flower. Fang and Katniss climbed halfway down the tree as I climbed up. I was chosen to cut it off, because I had the stronger immune system, due to birdie me, and my knife was better suited to the task. I sawed away at the wood and thought about the nature of a tracker-jacker. They were usually up and about by this time, but the smoke from the fire must have drifted and tamed them. Somehow, I didn't think that it would stop them from trying to attack whomever smashed up their hive. Finally, the knife reached the point of no return and with on last swipe, I cut the limb off and watched the home of the evil insects fall towards the floor. It caught on one branch and a couple leaped out, heading for my two companions, but the rest of the nest fell down and cracked open on the ground. Immediately, a black swarm erupted from the broken hive. I grinned as the Careers woke up to a full tracker-jacker attack.

"To the lake!" one of them screamed and they all dashed off, with the exception of Glimmer, who was already dead, and a couple of other tributes who didn't hear the call for the buzzing of the waspish insects.

When all the bees-like creatures were gone, I glided down as the other two clambered down, swaying slightly.

"I don't feel so good" mumbled Katniss and Fang nodded in agreement.

"It's the venom. In a few minutes, you'll start to hallucinate. Let's get away before then" I suggested and pushed them away from the direction that the Careers had vanished to.

"My bow" muttered Katniss and stumbled towards Glimmer, who now resembled a particularly purple bunch of grapes.

"I'll get it, go!"I yelled.

Fang made the sensible decision of pulling Katniss away, while I turned back to Glimmer. I tried to prize the bow out of her grip, but her hands were curled so tightly and swollen by the stings, that I couldn't get them open.

"Sorry" I murmured and I pulled out my knife.

I hacked at each of her fingers until they came off and I discarded them, snatching the bow up, almost afaid she would grow new fingers and grip it harder than before. Katniss would kill me if I didn't get the weapon she loved. I turned the ugly blonde over and wrestled the quiver of arrows from her body. I could hear someone tramping through the trees, but I persevered. At last, I got the quiver onto my back. I looked up to see a boy staring at me.

"Peeta" I hissed.

"What are you still doing here?" he whispered back. "You need to go, now!"

I darted away, but when I looked back, Ari had Peeta in a headlock and Cato was drawing his sword. Without thinking, I drew the best balanced knife I had and aimed. Just as Cato pulled back his sword to strike, I threw it and hit Ari in the shoulder, giving Peeta the time to dash away, unfortunately not before Cato slashed him in the leg. Ari cried out, letting go of Peeta, and caught my eye.

"You'll pay for this, Ride!" I heard him yell as I sprinted as fast as I could, as far as I could.

I stayed on Katniss and Fang's trail easily. A trampled plant here and a broken branch there plainly told me that they had been this way. Before long, I reached a clearing and was surprised to see a small dark girl spiting something out and pressing it on Katniss and Fang.

"Hey!" I said, drawing another knife.

The small girl spun round and crouched in a position that reminded me of Buttercup, the mangy cat that Katniss brought home and Prim insisted on keeping. The homesickness had set in days ago, but it swelled now. I ignore it and concentrated on the person in front of me.

"What were you doing?" I demanded, cautious of her despite her size.

There was a girl a few years ago who won by pretending she was really weak. Everone ignored her and she waited until nearly everyone was dead, then she went berserk on the Careers who were left. Turns out, as she was from District seven, she was a whiz with an axe and she beheaded everybody.

"I was treating their stings" she squeaked. "It's called marroot."

"How do you know?"

She rolled her eyes.

"We have a lot of nests back in Eleven. We have to know how to treat the stings, or there would be a lot less of us."

"Ah," I said. "Well how do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't, but he's got three stings that I've found to far. If I don't treat him, he'll die."

I nodded at once and asked if she needed any help. Rue, I remembered her name was. She gave me a handful of leaves and the stuffed some of her own in her mouth and chewed. I followed suit and found that the leaves tasted nice. It was like pine, but sweeter. She spat the green mush on her hand and gently rubbed it onto a sting on Katniss' neck. I found a sting on Fang's cheek and daubed the sticky stuff on it. We checked all the visible skin, which wasn't much and sat back.

"They aren't the only ones who can have allies, you know." I said suddenly.

My eyes widened as I realized I had said it out loud. The look of hope on her face dissuaded me from taking it back.

"Really?" she gasped. "You'd want me as an ally?"

Yeah, why not" I tried to persuade myself too. "You're clever, Katniss told me that it was you who told her about the nest. You know remedies that probably saved my friends. 'Course I want you as an ally. Those two probably will agree. I'll make them agree if they don't." I grinned.

Rue giggled. "Hey look funny with that stuff on their faces."

"Yeah, you're right" I snorted.

"Well, I'm going to hunt" I told her. "Will you keep guard?"

"Sure."

We built a shelter of fallen branches and dirt around the unconscious people. I decided to empty my pack and leave it all there in case I found something big. I also took the plastic sheet from Katniss' bag to wrap potential meat in. Then I did a running takeoff and soared above the treetops. It wasn't long until I saw a young wild turkey wandering around a pond. I threw the knife at it and cleanly chopped it's head off. I landed and held it still while it died. I shoved it in my pack and flew back to our camp to find Rue making a small fire.

"Oh, no" I quickly dumped my pack and took all the greener wood from the fire. "That wood produces smoke. You want to use the brown branches with a lot less sap."

We rebuilt the fire and got it going. When I pulled the turkey out the bag, Rue whooped.

"How did you get that?" she exclaimed as I started to gut it.

"I fly overhead and throw a knife at it" I explained, absent-minded. "Then I land on top of it if I only injured it and slit it's throat."

"Wow, you're amazing" she complimented.

I blushed and ducked my head, knowing that I wouldn't have been half as good if Katniss hadn't taught me how to hunt in the first place. I couldn't exactly announce that on national television, so I kept quiet as I roasted the dead bird.

"Oh, I've never had a whole leg to myself before" gasped Rue as I offered her one.

"Go on, you know you want to" I teased, waving it in her face.

she took it and sank her teeth into it. She moaned in pleasure and devoured it quickly. I bit into my own turkey leg to find that it was crispy and black on the outside, but soft and juicy on the inside. Once we had finished our meal, we packed the rest of the meat away, wrapped in the washed plastic sheet.

"You're the expert, so what do we do for them now?" I asked, gesturing to the two sting victims in the makeshift shelter.

"The only thing we can do" she replied. "We wait for them to wake up."


	24. Chapter 24

**SORRY! **

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! My teachers found it prudent to pile a load of homework and coursework on us, along with some 'stress busters' which only make me more stressed! God, you guys must hate me right now... **

**To the random guest who reviewed four times: Okay, okay, here's the next chapter. Hmm... Maybe I will write a sequel, though I don't quite know how yet. And no, I am not done with this story yet. **

**Anyways, fly on! **

Katniss' POV

I moaned and clutched my head, not bothering to open my eyes. My brain felt like sewage and when I tried to sit up, the sewage turned boiling hot. I fell back onto what I managed to guess as a pile of leaves. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain ebbed away and someone touched my shoulder.

Max.

I felt a bottle at my dry, cracked lips and I guzzled the fresh water greedily. A cool washed over my mind and the feeling of rot in my mind went away. The bottle disappeared, so I sat up again and opened my eyes.

"Woah!"

I tumbled backwards again, banging my still aching head against a tree. Max grinned and moved away from where she had been, her face inches from mine.

"Did you have to do that?" I grumbled, sitting up a third time and rubbing the back of my head.

"Yep" she chuckled. "We have precious little fun around here anymore."

I stuck my tongue out. Then I noticed a small girl cowering behind Max.

"Who's this?" I asked, just as wary of her as she was of me.

Max glanced around, as if she had forgotten that the small girl was there.

"Oh, this is Rue. She's from Eleven and she treated your stings, I only helped" Max supplied. "You know how I am with remedies."

I did know, but I was still cautious. I asked how many tributes were left and my best friend shrugged.

"I dunno, I've lost count with all the running we've done."

Rue spoke up.

"Both boys and one girl from Two, the boy from Four," she ticked them off her fingers. "One of each from Five, a girl from Nine, Thresh and me from Eleven and all four of you from Twelve" she finished.

I did a mental sum.

"So, thirteen then?" I confirmed. "The same number of the initial bloodbath."

"Make that twelve" Max corrected as a cannon fired.

"How long have I," I looked over at the still unconscious boy beside me and shifted away a bit. "We been out?"

"Two days," Rue answered. "We got the venom out fast enough that it didn't do any lasting damage."

I nodded.

"You've been hunting, right?"

Max rolled her eyes.

"Duh, I got a wild turkey, but that's all gone" she sniped. "We have three rabbits and half another wild turkey left."

"That's good" I praised. "We have any berries of any kind?"

"Katniss, I'm not learning anymore, I know how to survive" she groaned, but I glared at her. "Alright, we have some blackberries and some snowberries, but I'm not sure how they grow here. We also found a nightlock bush down by the river, so we steered clear of there. We got loads of mint too."

"Wow, you got really bored didn't you?" I snickered.

"No, actually, we've been devising a plan" Max poked my stomach. "But I don't wanna explain it twice, so we're gonna wait for lazy over there to wake up."

"I'm awake" said a deep voice.

Max held the water bottle to his mouth and he drank. She carefully helped him up and gave him a strip of meat.

"Hey!" I said indignantly.

Rue giggled and passed me a rabbit leg. I nodded in thanks and poked Max in the ribs. She squealed, jerking away and somehow managing to end up on Fang's lap. She blushed bright red and started to clamber off. Fang stopped her and whispered something in her ear. By now, her face was the reddest I had ever seen it, but she settled back on his lap and began playing with her fingers as he wrapped his arms around her. I exulted inside. Even if it was a facade for the viewers, she looked happy. I know when Max is happy and right then, she was content.

I raised my eyebrow and she coughed.

"Erm, anyway, about the plan" she said quickly.

She and Rue ran through the idea they had come up with. It was good, but they hadn't scouted much in case the careers were watching. I suggested a few improvements and we were off. Max went and set up one fire, Rue another and Fang the last. I headed down to the lake and found the hiding place Rue told me about and settled down for the night. Our plan was due to begin the next morning, so I had some time to myself.

I ate a rabbit leg and a few mint leaves, sucking on them as I thought. I thought of Rue, how she didn't seem to be a threat and Max trusted her. If Max trusted her, I trusted her. The dark-haired girl reminded me of someone back home. Nudge, who was always chattering. Rue didn't chatter, but they had the same innocent air around them, the kind of feeling that made you want to protect them.

I thought of Max and Fang. It may only be a deception to my best friend, but I knew better. The raw emotion I could see in her counterpart's eyes betrayed his true feelings. Fang wasn't in it for survival, he really loved Max. I approved, but I silently vowed that if he hurt her in any way, I would personally make Hell seem like a walk in the park to him. The I would take away his manhood. I grinned evilly at the thought.

And finally, having nothing else to think about, I allowed myself to ponder the matter of Peeta. I couldn't understand how he could proclaim his lifelong love for me, then just throw it in my face as if it meant nothing. Not that it did mean anything to me, but it hurt to believe that someone valued you and then find out that they didn't. Jumping in with the Careers was possibly the stupidest thing he could have done, and he probably deserved the leg wound that was surely killing him. I was overcome with a sudden urge to find him and set things straight. I was almost out of the hiding place when I realized the idiocy of what I was doing. I hurried to assume the position I was in before and commanded my brain to sleep.

Yeah, right. Like that would have worked.

I silently spent the night fantasizing ways to torture the Gamemakers. I drifted into a light, uneasy sleep and woke early in the morning. I saw Cato and Ari wrestling in the field near the Cornucopia and I couldn't help but hope that it was a fight to the death. No such luck. After a few minutes, Ari dominated and won. They both stood, brushed themselves off and shook hands. I watched curiously as those two very large boys bullied the other Careers over the course of the morning. Cato even slapped the remaining girl. She was from Two as well, I thought. A small boy suddenly yelled out and pointed in the direction of where the first fire should have been. The three tributes from District Two took off running, leaving the boy from four behind, presumably to guard the supplies. I had no idea why they would leave him, because he was small and scrawny, not really worth the fight. But, they must keep him alive for some reason, so I didn't charge out immediately.

Suddenly, Foxface darted out from the other side of the supply pile and started doing this weird dance, hopping from one spot to another. She overbalanced once and gave a small, bird-like squeal, but nothing happened. Then it dawned on me. The boy from four was a bomb expert. That would explain the patted down mounds of dirt and the piles of soil by the starting disks. The boy had dug up the mines and reactivated them, placing them at strategic points in the supplies.

Foxface grabbed a few small things from the pile, enough to survive and still not be noticed, and exited. Just as she reached the edge of the clearing, she tripped over a branch and fell on her face with a loud 'oomph'. The bomb boy was up and after her in a flash, but she was already gone. Still, he chased her into the forest, giving me a much needed opportunity. I spied a bag of apples hanging from a barrel, which lit a spark in my brain.

I allowed myself a small smile as I stepped out into the clearing.

_Let the Hunger Games start for real, Cato and Ari. _


End file.
